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H.R. 18: Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2025

This bill, known as the Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2025, aims to enhance the current background check system for firearm sales in the United States. The primary goals of the Act include:

Purpose

The bill seeks to make sure that individuals who are prohibited from purchasing or possessing firearms, due to various reasons such as criminal backgrounds or mental health concerns, cannot obtain guns.

Firearm Transfers

General Requirements:
It would be illegal for individuals who are not licensed importers, manufacturers, or dealers to transfer firearms to others who are also unlicensed. Such transfers must go through a licensed entity, which would facilitate the necessary background checks.
Responsibilities of Licensed Entities:
If a licensed importer, manufacturer, or dealer takes possession of a firearm for transfer, they must comply with all legal requirements as if they were selling directly from their inventory.
Exceptions:
The requirements do not apply to:
- Law enforcement officers and armed security professionals acting on duty.
- Transfers between family members (spouses, domestic partners, parents and children, siblings, etc.) under certain conditions.
- Transfers that occur as a matter of law upon someone’s death, managed by an executor or a trustee.
- Temporary transfers for the purpose of preventing serious harm or imminent danger.
- Certain temporary transfers during activities like target shooting, hunting, or fishing, as long as the transferor believes the transferee will use the firearm legally.

Compliance Requirements

Licensed entities must also provide a notice to any prospective transferee about the legal prohibition against transferring firearms to unlicensed individuals. The transferee must certify that they have received this notice.

Translations and Accessibility

The Attorney General is required to make both English and Spanish versions of necessary forms and notices available for licensed entities, ensuring broader access to compliance materials.

Prohibitions and Restrictions

The bill explicitly states that it does not permit the creation of a national firearms registry.
States retain the authority to enact their own laws related to firearm transfers, even if they intersect with this Act.

Effective Date

The proposed amendments would take effect 180 days after the bill is enacted, providing time for compliance and implementation by the relevant stakeholders.